Zach Patton is the Executive Editor of Governing magazine. He joined the magazine as a staff writer in 2004, and has received accolades for his writing, including the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism for his story on economic cutbacks in Colorado Springs and other cities. He has been a Governing editor since 2010. Prior to his time at Governing, Zach covered Congressional politics for National Journal's Congress Daily, and helped produce National Journal's Almanac of American Politics. A native of Tennessee, Zach is a graduate of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.